Saturday 31 December 2011

The Story of My Assassins, by Tarun Tejpal.

I picked up a lot of books this year but couldn't finish many, thanks to lack of time and occasionally just out of sheer boredom. The Story of My Assassins is a fast paced one. Smartly written, the author takes the reader for a giddy roller-coaster ride through the elite society circle of Delhi, the underbelly of the city, brutal crime scenes in the heart of U.P and  more.

I have not been in a good mood these days and the last thing I wanted was a brutal crime-politics-sex cocktail. Thankfully this book had that all-important ingredient- humour. The humour kept me going. The plot is replete with twists and turns and is not predictable. What disappointed me a little was the very typical depiction of the underbelly of the city, from slums to railway stations etc. It was like an RGV film , and at times I felt that I was reading a Slumdog Millionaire script.

The book  revolves around the assassination attempt on a journalist, the subsequent arrest of the five suspects and the story of those 5 suspects. So whether it's the story of Hathoda Tyagi, Chini or the rest, they are all gripping. From fingers being sliced to delicate knife patters being etched on chests , from rape to passionate extra marital sex- it's all there. I reiterate , the humour comes as a welcome relief. Just when things get too brutal for comfort , a laugh-out-loud line eases the tension.

Overall it was an enjoyable read.I intend to read more of Tejpal. Alchemy of Desire. Sometime later. Now it's time to get Possessed by Byatt.

Oh and Happy New Year everyone. :)

Good Night.

2 comments:

Samraghni said...

No idea about Tejpal, but your penultimate line got me all excited. READ, READ, READ 'Possession' and I'll cheer you from the sidelines. This book took me quite some time, not because it's tedious but rather because it's intense. You might want to chuck it away at parts, but DON'T. You don't know what beautiful surprise is waiting for you in the next page. So stick there and finish it, and you'll be glad you did. I am. :)
Oh, good post btw, and happy new year to you too.

Moo Moo said...

o h k a y. And yes I know it's intense, never read anything like it. :P thanks for all the encouragement. intend to finish it surely !! :)